John Lennon’s Killer, Mark David Chapman, Denied Parole

For the seventh time since being convicted of killing John Lennon, Mark David Chapman has been denied parole. The New York Department of Corrections announced the ruling this morning, meaning the man who shot the Beatle on December 8, 1980 will serve at least two more years in jail.

Chapman has been eligible for parole every two years since 2000, and will be up once again in 2014. He was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to second degree murder.

“Despite your positive efforts while incarcerated, your release at this time would greatly undermine respect for the law and tend to trivialize the tragic loss of life which you caused as a result of this heinous, unprovoked, violent, cold and calculated crime,” Sally Thompson of the parole board told Chapman (quote via Reuters).

The 57-year-old is in protective custody at the Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, N.Y., after being transferred from Attica earlier this year. Chapman is allowed out three hours per day, but is applying for a program that allows inmates to spend time with family.